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2009 Purdue College Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Purdue 7809 Head coach Danny Hope takes over the reigns at Purdue at a tough time. The program is coming off its worst season in more than a decade and the thinking is that Purdue may have to take another step back before it can move forward. Find out where I have the Boilermakers finishing in the Big Ten in this 2009 NCAA football betting preview. Purdue is listed at +8000 to win the 2009 Big Ten championship.

Offense – Purdue has been known for its lethal offense in recent years with guys like Drew Brees, Kyle Orton, and Curtis Painter slinging the rock. But even with a talented passer like Painter, Purdue scored seven or fewer points in four games last season. The production figures to dip even lower in 2009 with fifth-year senior Joey Elliot as the leading candidate to take over. Elliot has played in 10 games as a Boilermaker and knows the system, but couldn’t be more unproven. The quarterback of the future is freshman Caleb TerBush, but I don’t expect the new Purdue coaching staff to throw him to the wolves unless Elliot really struggles. The Boilers return Keith Smith and Aaron Valentin at the wide receiver spots. Smith had 49 grabs for 486 yards and two scores last season. But Purdue will need a couple newcomers to contribute as well. Coach Hope is big on juco transfer Keith Carlos and freshman Eric Williams. Fifth-year senior Jaycen Taylor is expected to get the starting nod at tailback. He has been productive but sat out last season to recover from a knee injury, and you just never know how players are going to bounce back from those things. Luckily, the offensive line has plenty of experience with at least eight players who have started.

Defense – New defensive coordinator Donn Landholm really wants to shake things up on this side of the football to try to create scoring opportunities since the offense figures to struggle at times. We can expect Landholm to blitz often and to constantly disguise coverages. The front line looks pretty solid with sophomore defensive end Ryan Kerrigan as a rising star. He came up with seven sacks last year and should only get better. Senior defensive tackle Mike Neal is an animal on the interior. There are still some questions surrounding the linebacker unit. Chris Carlino and Joe Holland have to play much better in 2009 after gaining experience last season. Hopefully, they understand the scheme and positioning much better than they did as rookies. The Boilermakers boasted the best passing defense in the Big Ten last season, holding opponents to only 183.3 yards per game. Part of that was because the secondary is pretty good and part of that was because teams were able to run on the Boilers at a steady clip. All the same, Purdue returns four senior defensive backs with starting experience to keep the secondary a strength.

Prediction: 10th Big Ten - The defense will give the Boilermakers a shot to win a handful of games, but an unproven offense figures to be a letdown.

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Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks won’t steer you wrong this season.

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